drhark said:
It's not good that we fired these translators, but wouldn't it be worse if we fired every soldier who was, right or wrong, uncomfortable living side by side a gay man? There's an ideal world and then there's the real world we're living in.
So can someone tell me why it's so difficult staying in the closet if you're in the military? And I'm not asking this to be combative, pardon the pun!
usually someone finds out inadvertantly. there may be a slip of the tongue -- "my boyfriend ..." -- or someone might see you on a date with a man at some point. people usually do their best to remain closeted (and you'd be *shocked* at how many in the upper ranks of the military are gay ... my Coast Guard friend [who's straight] said they were referred to as "the happy brass") but it's a very hard thing to do -- and psychologically taxing. life in the closet is very difficult, and some people simply get sick of it. we're not talking about *flaunting* anything -- we're talking bout a gay soldier getting discharged for having a conversation which any other straight person is entitled to have -- "i am going on a date this weekend," etc.
whether or not they should have to be closeted is a different matter, and i'll leave that one for another thread.
finally, for the soldiers who don't want to live next to a gay person -- grow the fuck up. get over it. that is no more credible or understandable to say that you don't want to live next to a black person or a latino. besides, there are currently thousands of gay soldiers serving across the world, and they live, eat, and sleep in close quarters with straight soldiers.
juyst replace the word "gay" in that article with "jewish." would you find ANY excuses for such behavior? would people not be marching in the streets over such bigotry?
furthermore, these guys are TRANSLATORS. they're not on patroll in Baghdad or sweeping the caves of Tora Bora.
this is so moronic ... we're less safe because a few assholes are so wrapped up in their own misguided prejudices, self-serving stereotypes, and freudian insecuritites that the appeasement of a bigoted few is worth the increased endangerment of the United States.
way to go, USA Military. why should gay men help defend a country that treates them like 2nd class citiznes?
as said in the article:
"I looked at myself and said, `Are you willing to go to war with an institution that won't recognize that you have the right to live as you want to,'" said Finkenbinder, 22, who now lives in Baltimore. "It just got to be tiresome to deal with that — to constantly have such a significant part of your life under scrutiny."
